San Diego Bicycle Accident Attorneys

Welcome to the California Bicycle Accident and Injury Law website. The San Diego bicycle accident attorneys at Casey Gerry have created this site especially for people who have suffered a serious injury in a bicycle accident, and their loved ones.

Bike riding is increasingly popular in the US, and especially in Southern California both as sport and recreation. As roadway congestion and concerns about pollution increase, more and more people are also turning to their bicycles for errands, commuting and general transportation. Bicycling is an excellent form of exercise, a smooth, non-impact activity which places minimal stress on joints. It’s especially good for weight loss and for cardiovascular health. Bicycling allows a much closer connection between the cyclist and his or her surroundings than does riding in a car or motorcycle.

Bicycling also carries some real risks. Bikes share the road with cars and trucks, usually without sufficient barriers between bicycle lanes and motor vehicle lanes. The National Centers for Disease Control reports that each year, more than 500,000 people in the US are treated in emergency departments for bicycle-related injuries. More than 700 people die as a result of bicycle accident-related injuries. Children 15 years and younger are at particularly high risk, accounting for 59% of all bike-related injuries seen in US emergency departments.

In 2003, the most recent year for which figures are available, 46,000 bicyclists were injured in traffic collisions, and 622 were killed. Of those killed, 143 were under the age of 16.

The costs of fatal bicycle accidents and serious bicycling injuries are substantial. In 2005 the National Safety Council (NSC) estimated that the comprehensive cost of each person killed in a traffic crash to be $3,840,000, a figure which includes the person’s surgical and hospital expenses, damage to motor vehicles, lost income and lost future productivity. By this calculation the 784 bicyclists killed in 2005 incurred costs of more than $3 billion. The NSC also estimated the average nonfatal injury cost per person involved in a motor vehicle crash to be $52,900 (2005 dollars). Multiplying this number by those 46,000 reported bicycle-vehicle crashes in 2005 totals nearly $2.4 billion.

These numbers are economic costs, and do not begin to approach the impact on families who have lost a loved one in a bicycling accident, or the loss in quality of life for bicyclists severely injured in crashes.

If you or a loved one has recently suffered a serious injury through a bicycle accident, you will want to learn more about your rights. On this site, After a serious bicycle injury: should you consider legal action? offers useful information that can help you think through your options.

A plaintiff’s citizenship or immigration status is not an issue in bicycle accident or fatality cases involving failure of bicycle parts or tires, negligent installation or maintenance, and unsafe roadway design. Casey Gerry's San Diego bicycle attorneys have represented Mexican citizens, Mexican nationals living in the US, and undocumented immigrants who have been harmed by unsafe bicycles, tires and roadways. Location of the bicycle accident is also not a factor. Whether the accident occurred in the US or in Mexico, if the harm was due to unsafe or defective design, manufacture, or defective component parts on the part of a US manufacturer, or negligent installation or maintenance, Casey Gerry attorneys can pursue redress in US courts.

Casey Gerry is a leader in bicycle accident and injury law

Many serious bike injuries and fatalities are the result of negligence or misconduct by individuals, common carriers or government entities. When a person is injured as a result of misconduct or negligence by an individual, a corporation, or a government, s/he may have grounds for a lawsuit. In the case of a serious injury caused in a bicycle accident, the long-term consequences in medical expenses and changes in lifestyle can be very substantial, and it may be appropriate to seek financial compensation from a negligent party.

If you or a loved one has experienced a bike injury that you believe is the result of negligence or misconduct, you may wish to consult a plaintiff’s attorney experienced in dealing with this kind of complex injury. It is important to pursue the matter as soon as possible after an injury, while evidence is still available and access to witnesses is easiest.

If you or a loved one believes a corporation or government entity contributed to your bike injuries, you should contact an attorney immediately for review of a potential claim. There are short deadlines set by laws which regulate the filing of lawsuits, called statutes of limitation, which vary state by state. If you believe that you or a loved one was harmed by a corporation’s or government’s negligence or misconduct, you should not delay in contacting an attorney. If the statute of limitations expires, your right to pursue a claim against the entity may be forever barred.

Casey Gerry, based in San Diego, is one of the oldest and most respected plaintiff’s personal injury firms in California. Senior partner David Casey Jr bicycled across the United States as a young man, and he understands the importance of a safe roadway environment for bicyclists. Casey Gerry’s San Diego bicycle accident attorneys have worked over several decades with people facing injuries from bicycle accidents, and the survivors of people who have died in bicycle collisions. Casey Gerry can help can tell you more about Casey Gerry’s record in securing fair compensation for victims of bike accidents.

At Casey Gerry, our San Diego bicycle accident attorneys are committed to a thorough and accurate investigation for any client on whose behalf we undertake representation. Unlike most personal injury firms, we have a full-time investigative staff that we can deploy to thoroughly investigate every reasonable claim. In cases involving serious bicycle injury or a bicycle fatality, gathering the facts and evidence as soon as possible can be critical to the success of a case. Casey Gerry offers its clients unparalleled resources to accomplish the necessary investigation.